Sister Wives
by Rated Ian
Summary: When Ian Malcolm and his two girlfriends flee the public eye after the San Diego Incident, they end up getting far more than they bargained for when they end up staying in a dinosaur-worshipping, polygamist compound in the middle of the desert. Ian/OC/OC; Alan/OC/OC/OC/OC/OC/OC.
1. Chapter 1

The world really isn't so small after all.

Not when you're fleeing civilization, anyway. It sure feels like you could drive forever.

Reaching for the water bottle in my purse, I took note that it was the last one.

"Ian," I turned to him. "We are going to have to stop somewhere soon."

"We're not stopping until we hit the border," insisted Ian. He didn't take his eyes off the road. "Everybody in the States knows my face. They'll—they'll recognize us anywhere."

I did not doubt that after the Incident had caused his face to be plastered all over television again—although this time for a different reason—Ian was right. Glancing backwards and catching Laura's eye, we exchanged a frown.

"That's not going to work with two women in the car. Eventually, one of us is going to need the washroom and unlike you, Ian, we are not going by the side of the road."

"We're not even out of Utah. Hell, or we could be, I don't know _where_ we are," Laura said, and I sighed; she'd grown up in the US and knew the area better, and if she thought we were lost, we were as good as marooned. She leaned forward in her seat and swatted Ian's arm. "Next time we see any sign of life, we're stopping! Better yet, we could stop around that highway sign we passed a little bit back. I swear I saw a desert iguana, I'd put money on it."

"Not the best time to look for specimens, honey," Ian said, the strain in his voice evident despite his attempts to sound calm for us.

"All right, all right, but you've been driving for three hours. If you won't stop for the bathroom, stop for your sanity."

"Two against one, we win," I settled back into my seat and scanned the horizon for a building, a sign, a tree with live leaves...

XXX

The car had been silent for a little over an hour. Ian remained tense but quiet, and Laura was nodding off in the seat beside me. I was fantasizing about drinking a delicious iced coffee, when something caught my eyes at the side of the road.

"A sign!" I nudged Ian's back. "It's a town! Take that exit, Ian!"

Ian mumbled something about backseat drivers, but he steered the red convertible into the right lane, snapping Laura awake. We passed an old, dirty sign that read "Phoenix". _Odd name for a tiny place in the middle of nowhere_ , I thought. The exit took us on to a small gravel road, where the sounds of the highway faded and were replaced by an eerie silence.

As we advanced slowly along the road, I pulled out and unfolded a road map. "I don't know where we are," I admitted. "I don't see Phoenix here—maybe it's too small."

Laura leaned forward and took the map from my hands. She studied it for a moment, then frowned.

"I'm not sure either. Maybe we can find someone here to ask."

Ian raised a hand off the steering wheel and shook a finger at us emphatically. "We're gonna find a, uh, general store and then be on our way south via the main highway." We were beginning to pass structures – mostly dilapidated barns, silos, and boarded-up houses.

"It would be nice to know where the hell we are," I snapped. Ian shot me a warning glance in response.

Turning my attention back to the road, I spotted some figures ahead. "Look! People!"

Both Ian and Laura craned their necks to see what I saw. A small group of children played on the road just ahead of us. They kicked around a battered old football. The oldest in the group could not have been older than five or six.

Ian slowed the car, stopping it as the kids moved to the side for us to pass. He rolled down the window and smiled at them.

"Hey, kids." Ian indicated the direction in which we'd been traveling. "This the way to your town?"

The three children stared back at Ian silently. It was then that I noticed something odd about them. All three wore similar, slightly old-fashioned-looking clothing. They all had blonde hair and blue eyes. The oldest, a girl, wore a long French braid that went halfway down her back.

She broke the silence. "Yes, it is," she said solemnly. "But you'll have to talk to my daddy if you want to go into town."

Ian's eyebrows shot up. Laura and I exchanged a worried glance. I was beginning to get an inkling of what Phoenix might be, and so was Laura.

Driving for a few more minutes, we finally came across a building that did not look abandoned: it was a huge temple with colorful stained-glass windows. The sign identified it as the Holy Temple of the Blessed Chosen. How did such a barren place need such a big temple? Laura craned her neck to look at the structure, squinting her eyes, and then expressions of shock and disbelief passed over her face. I gave her an inquiring look, and she shook her head as if to say, "It was nothing."

I had barely had time to wonder who the Blessed Chosen were when I realized that we had reached Phoenix. The landscape was occupied by humble single-family homes— most of which had seen better days. Many of the overgrown lawns and unfinished driveways were strewn with children's toys. The homes were drab grey and off-white colors with tired, pale accents. Few people were around. It did not escape my notice that most of those we saw out and about were men. Like the children, they dressed similarly; they wore button-down workshirts, khakis, boots, and cowboy hats.

Turning to look behind me, I caught Laura's eye. I was now certain about where we'd found ourselves. Did Ian know?

Ian was distracted, looking around as we navigated the gravel slowly. "Do you ladies see anywhere to stop?"

There was not a single convenience store, or even a Coca-Cola sign anywhere. There were two men leaning up against the side of one of the drab buildings, though, and growing impatient, Ian stopped the car in front of them.

Curious about the intruders in their midst, the men came around to Ian's window.

"Afternoon, gentlemen," Ian greeted them with no trace of sarcasm or snark. He knew we were in foreign territory.

Neither man spoke, but they both narrowed their eyes at Ian. He cast me a quick glance, and I shrugged. Ian sighed and unbuckled his seat belt, stepping out of the car.

Ian's tall, lanky figure and black outfit cut a strong contrast with the two men in prairie clothes. He offered them a hand and shook one, then the other.

"We're, uh, passing through the area on our way down south," Ian explained just as much as he was comfortable revealing. I could hear the wariness in his voice, as if he expected the men to yell at any minute that Ian was the man they'd seen on the news, talking about dinosaurs and subsequently being ridiculed. "We were hoping to find a place to stop and stock up on supplies. Is there somewhere you—you fine folks shop for shampoo and groceries?"

The older-looking man finally spoke. "Nothin' like that in Phoenix," he shook his head slowly.

"We're a closed community," the younger man put in.

Frustrated by the conversation, I turned around to Laura. "I don't think he realizes what this place is..."

"Lots of these places in the Deep South," Laura replied. "Let's help him out."

Both Laura and I stepped out of the car, interrupting the men's conversation. The two men in cowboy hats shifted their attention immediately to us.

We'd been driving along the open highway in the southwest US in August, and the weather was scorching. I wore a red spaghetti-strap tank top with a short tennis skirt and wedge heel sandals, and Laura wore a white sleeveless blouse and navy blue cut-offs, with sandals as well. Normally these were the clothes we felt the most comfortable in, but with the way the two strange men were looking at us, I couldn't help but feel like what we were wearing was the target of their hostile expressions.

I put my unease aside for the moment. "Hello, gentlemen," I said brightly, stepping around the front of the car to join them. "Very sorry to disturb you. We are just looking for somewhere to refill our water bottles and use the restroom. Would you be able to help us with that?"

The men looked at Laura, then at me, then finally at Ian with renewed suspicion. There was something else in the older one's expression, but it was unreadable to me. He raised a hand, tipping his hat back.

"I think y'all better go talk to the Prophet," the older man said slowly. He waited for a reaction.

Laura spoke before Ian could respond. "Sure, we'll be happy to talk to the Prophet."

The older man glared at Laura, then addressed Ian. "She your woman?"

Ian was still trying to process the fact that there was a "Prophet" whom we were en route to see. Taken aback by the man's personal question, he faltered a moment before answering. "Yes." He turned and indicated me with a wave, catching my eye briefly. "They're both, uh... my women."

Suppressing a smile, I looked at Laura. She'd caught that too.

The men led us further down the gravel road on foot. I was unsure if I should speak or if it was better to keep quiet. I followed Ian's lead and stayed silent. As we passed the structures – it was difficult to call them houses— I realized that there were signs of a lot of life around us. It was just hidden behind these walls.

"If we have any hope of getting what we need to go on," Laura had fallen into stride with Ian, "it'll be this 'Prophet' guy that helps us."

Ian snorted. "Of all the places we stop— we find a crazy Bible-thumping cult town..."

"A compound," I put in. Those years of binge-watching _Big Love_ were now proving immensely helpful. "It's a self-sufficient compound. That's why they have no stores."

Ian opened his mouth to respond, but when he saw the older man ahead glance over his shoulder, checking on us, he wisely said nothing.

Soon after, we arrived at a slightly less dilapidated structure, in that you could tell it had once been a lovely family home. Like the other buildings in Phoenix, it exuded an air of being rundown and tired.

"Y'all wait here with JimBob while I see if the Prophet is available to speak with you." The older man disappeared into the house, leaving the four of us in still more uncomfortable silence. _Damn!_ Another lost opportunity to have discussed the situation amongst ourselves.

The rusty door protested as the man opened it partway to lean out."Prophet'll see y'all - come on in."

Suddenly I felt a rising anxiety, but it was calmed as Ian placed a steadying hand on my back. He guided us both up the front steps. "Ladies first."

We followed the man into the darkened front hallway. The interior was only slightly less shabby than the exterior. The space felt crowded, with toys and clothes in various piles on the floor, and the walls were too busy with garish religious paintings and paintings of dinosaurs. _Dinosaurs?_

Ian and Laura saw the same painting I did. It would have been comical, to see all three of us do a simultaneous double take. Luckily our friend did not notice. He'd stopped outside what appeared to be a study, gesturing for us to follow him inside. The man seated at the desk also wore a cowboy hat.

"Your Holiness, I bring you ... the Second Dinosaur Man."

Startled by the old man's words, the Prophet lifted his head from his paperwork to see what his disciple claimed to have dragged in. The Prophet's eyes widened at the same moment Ian exclaimed, "Dr Grant!"


	2. Chapter 2

A moment of pure, dead silence hung in the air. For possibly the first time in his life, Ian appeared to be speechless, and so was the Prophet. I exchanged an uneasy glance with Alice while the two men just stood and stared at each other, jaws hanging open. Finally, they spoke at the same time, the Prophet murmuring, "Ian," and Ian shouting, "The Prophet?!"

The Prophet guy, whoever he was, sat silently and watched as Ian proceeded to burst out laughing. He had to grab the edge of the Prophet's desk for support as he nearly screamed with laughter, managing to gasp out, "King of the fundies… fundie prophet… oh, this is good…"

The Prophet's face had had an unreadable expression on it a moment ago, but it instantly hardened and the man straightened up in his chair. "We don't appreciate those kinds of terms here."

"What, 'fundie'?" Ian snorted, wiping a tear out of his eye. "Oh, that's rich. You looked around lately? This—this place is straight out of a police report. What made you go fundie, Alan? Science not take you seriously anymore?"

"If you keep speaking like that, I'm afraid you won't be welcome here for very long," the Prophet said coldly. He paused for a moment and looked behind Ian, and the moment his eyes hit Alice and me, I felt like a bug under a microscope. The Prophet—Alan?—furrowed his brow. "Ian, who are these… these…loose women?"

I looked at Alice and raised an eyebrow in shock; she just shook her head, as if she'd expected this. "Loose?" I repeated incredulously.

"This is your husband's business, ma'am," the Prophet said immediately. "Didn't you teach her not to interrupt men, Ian? I thought you would be better with wives by now."

Alice looked like a laugh would burst out of her at any moment, and Ian shook his head. "No, no, Alan. This is Alice," he motioned behind him, "and this is Laura. They're my girlfriends."

"You're not married to either of these women?" the Prophet said slowly.

"Of course not. Could you pick just one of 'em?" Ian answered, throwing a smirk back at both of us. Despite the circumstances, I rolled my eyes.

The Prophet shook his head. "This won't do. Not if you plan to stay here. I can't allow you to live in my town while you're living in sin with these women."

Ian stiffened. "Are you kicking us out? We've, uh, driven for miles and we have nowhere else to go, but you're throwing us out 'cause I have girlfriends? If you want us just to go somewhere that isn't Crazytown-"

"No!" the Prophet said, and then in a calmer voice, "You are welcome to stay for as long as possible. I only take issue with you and your women being unmarried—we abide by Biblical morals in this town, and if you were… together with women out of the bonds of marriage, it would set a terrible example."

"So what you're saying," Ian said, "is that we can stay if we get married?"

"That's right. You'd be quite welcome, in fact. We have a spare home right now that would be ideal for a family your size."

Ian paused, crossing his arms and staring at the floor, and I looked over at Alice. Like Ian, she looked deep in thought, but a tiny grin seemed to be growing on her face. I tried to catch her gaze, and when she finally looked at me, I saw the glimmer in her eye that usually meant that an idea was brewing, and nobody could do anything to stop it. I looked away and stared pleadingly at Ian's back, willing him not to jump into anything too drastic. He and Alice were always the type of people to jump on opportunities first and worry about the consequences later, and if both of them had the idea in their minds that we were going to stay here with this Prophet guy, it looked like we would be in over our heads.

"Let us have a few minutes alone, Alan," Ian said finally. "We'll talk it over."

"Of course," Alan/Prophet said, pulling out his chair and exiting his desk. "Take as long as you need. Remember, if you decide to stay, we have plenty of food and a place to sleep for you. And, of course, we'll have you for as long as you'd like." He paused before he opened the door, and then turned and briefly smiled at Ian. "I promise you won't want to leave." He strode out, shutting the door behind him.

Both of us turned on Ian at the same time, and all three of us spoke at once. "Let's do it!" Alice cried excitedly. "Haven't we been waiting for this?"

"I know this is a bit sudden—" Ian started.

"Is there really nowhere else we could go?" I asked.

"—but desperate times call for desperate measures—"

Alice was beaming. "Don't you see it? Haven't we been looking for a way for both of us to marry him?"

"I'm a bit more comfortable with a civil union than living in a cult," I said, already starting to jitter nervously.

"—and I've gotta say, uh, I'd rather get married to you two than be refugees in Mexico—"

"Where else could we go?" Alice said. "We've got a good place to stay and we can marry Ian here. Even just for a day or two. Can't we give it a try?"

"I—I guess," I said uneasily.

"—so how about it? Will you girls marry me?"

I turned my attention from Alice. "What kind of a proposal is that?" I asked half-jokingly.

"Oh, right." Ian dropped to one knee in what looked almost like a practiced movement- - had he been preparing for this?—took both of our hands and solemnly asked, "Laura, Alice, I love both of you with all of my heart, and I can't imagine a future where the three of us can't be together. Will you ladies do me the honor of being my wives?"

Eyes sparkling, Alice nodded speechlessly, and Ian turned to look at me. I spent a good minute watching the sincere look in his dark brown eyes, biting my lower lip and thinking this over. We had been looking for a way to make a legal arrangement with our relationship ever since we'd agreed that the three of us would more than likely spend our lives together, and the way we acted in our little two-bedroom apartment in Austin, you'd think we were already married anyway. And besides, we were in a fundamentalist compound out in the middle of nowhere—what were the odds that this would be legally binding? If we wanted to stay married afterward, we could always have a proper wedding, but for now, it could be more of a test run. And not an unpleasant one, at that.

"All right," I said finally, "but I won't get a beehive hairdo, and there better not just be missionary in the dark for the purpose of procreation, you hear me? And don't start with a cowboy hat—" A huge smile spread over Ian's face, and he leapt to his feet and pulled us both into his arms, cutting me off and turning my nervous joke into a giggle.

"Thank you, loves," he said, kissing Alice's forehead and then mine, entwining his fingers in my short red hair. "I wouldn't get rid of this anyway. Although, uh, I can't make any cowboy hat-related promises—"

"I don't care," Alice said, unable to keep the smile off her face. "Wear one to the wedding! Gotta fit in, right?"

"—and I don't know if you've looked in our bags lately, but—but the missionary thing is very low on my list of intentions."

"One-track mind," I said, playfully smacking Ian's arm and feeling the worry that had clenched around my heart begin to dissipate. This couldn't be so bad, right? Even if my worst fears were confirmed and we did end up here for longer than a day or two, it would be time that I got to spend as an official family with the two people I loved most in the world. Alice might have a good time studying the different social structure they had here, and even though the chances were low that I'd get to practice any kind of science under the Prophet's watchful eye, there had to be at least a few books and a lizard or two here. I leaned my head against Ian's chest. "Hate to break up the bridal shower, but who's this Prophet guy? It looks like you know each other."

"Oh, oh, I should've told you ladies sooner," Ian said immediately. "That's Alan Grant."

"The guy you went to the island with?" Alice asked.

"The same," he answered. "Hell if I know what—what he's doing out in the middle of Fundieland USA,much less running it. Y'know, I'd never have guessed he was into any of this, but if he's running a cult with, uh, dinosaur motifs and where everyone has to listen to him, I'm not surprised." He brushed his hand against Alice's cheek. "I can't figure the guy out, but maybe my psychologist can."

"Got it. A case study in head-up- the-ass," she smiled.

"So are we doing this later, or," I motioned down to my clothes, "am I getting married in something with a formaldehyde stain on it?"

"Looks like we don't have much of a choice," Ian said apologetically. "We can always have the real deal when we get out of here and—and settle down somewhere with fewer crosses. You both ready to do this? Or you wanna wait a little while, sit down, see if you can pick some flowers to carry?"

"Doesn't matter to me," Alice said. "Let's get married here first and do formalities later, okay? It's not like we're inviting our parents or anything."

"I know," he said, moving his hands up and down our upper backs. "I just… well, this isn't quite how I planned the happiest day of my life, y'know?"

"Oh, honey," I said. "I know. Later, I promise. Right now I just want to eat something that's not from a wrapper or a gas station, okay? Can you do that for your… for your fiancées?"

"Seconded," Alice said. "Think of it as eloping in Vegas. So your wives can have somewhere to crash."

"We're ready, Alan!" Ian shouted. "Uh, Prophet, I mean—Grant—whatever." The door swung open as if Grant had been waiting right on the other side, but I only had a second or two to be unsettled by this before he motioned for the three of us to follow him out of the office and into the main building.

"Okay, there are a few arrangements I'll need to make," Grant told us, clasping his hands. "I'll have JimBob take your things into your new home—" I gave Ian a worried glance at this, but he was too focused on nuzzling Alice's forehead, "—and my first wife will bring your women some appropriate clothes. If you're looking for something to eat, we'd be more than happy to set up some kind of wedding celebration for you. Perhaps a cookout?"

"Oh God, yes," Alice said first.

"We'd be thrilled," Ian added.

"Do you have any fries or salads?" I piped up. "I don't need much, but, well, I kind of don't eat meat."

Grant narrowed his eyes at me. "Be careful with this one, Ian," he said. "Don't let Satan's liberal agenda seep into your home. Speaking of which—" He pulled two white sheets off of a nearby table. "Cover your wives' shame on the way to the chapel, please."

Ian pulled off the incredible feat of not laughing aloud at this. "Cover their shame?"

"Only until they can be properly clothed." Grant held a sheet up in front of me to demonstrate, covering me from the knees to the neck. "We can't have them walking through the town in these whore clothes, of course. Too great a temptation for the men."

"Whatever you say," Ian said, shooting both of us bemused looks as he handed us sheets. I held it in front of me for a moment and looked at it disgustedly—how dare he treat us like this, how dare he act like we were second-class citizens just because we were on his turf and happened to be female—but Ian reached down and wrapped the sheet around my body like a toga. "Not now, honey," he whispered in my ear. I wanted to glare at him, but decided not to; he knew there was a rant coming later anyway, and it wasn't like holding in my angry barbs was a new skill to me.

"Excellent," Grant said. "I'll head off and organize everything while you're getting ready. The chapel is right out the back door," he motioned with his hand, "just follow the stone path. I'll meet you there as soon as I get everything arranged. In the meantime, Ian, please keep your hands by your sides."

Ian, who'd been holding Alice's and my hands and entwining his fingers with ours, stopped. "I can't even hold their hands?"

"Save it for the honeymoon, please. It won't be for very long."

He shrugged. "Guess we'd better get a move on, then." He moved his hands to the smalls of our backs and guided us out the door.

On our way out, I cheered, "Mrs. Malcolm four and five!", holding up my hand. When Alice grinned and high-fived me, I glanced back at Grant and made sure he saw me grab her hand for a good few seconds.

He didn't give the glare I expected, though—he just stared at Ian's back, looking deep in thought.

We made our way outside and started down a path outlined by large chunks of desert sandstone, squinting in the sudden bright light. Alice started humming the Bridal March, and Ian had a brand-new spring in his step. Instead of focusing on the situation we were digging ourselves into, I busied myself with looking around us, at the dusty cornfields and houses that looked like something straight out of the post-apocalypse. We did attract a few stares, which I would have attributed to their recognition of Ian if

Alice and I hadn't looked like two college girls doing the walk of shame. Every time I tried to meet the eyes of the men strolling around, they took in the sight of the three of us, particularly our soon-to- be-husband, and then avoided my gaze. "It's like they know you, Ian," I said. "I mean, not from San Diego. It's… why are they looking at you like that?"

Ian paused for a moment. "Go on ahead, Alice honey," he said. "We just need a second here." She nodded and moved a few yards ahead of us, and Ian fell into step beside me. "What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked, keeping his voice down as we both kept looking ahead. "Is—is it the wedding? I know we had plans, but there's still time after we leave to—"

"No, it's not," I said. "I can live without my dream dress, Ian."

"Okay, is it the arrangement? Honey, I know we've been planning to get married since, um, before we met Alice, and I understand if—"

"No, that's not it," I told him and myself at the same time. "This is just looking like more and more of a permanent arrangement. They'll offer us food, they'll make us feel like honored guests, and before we know it we'll be writing a memoir about how we spent six years locked up in a fundie compound."

Ian put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "How about a week? We'll give it a week, we'll take what we can get and as soon as we know—know where we're going next, we'll get in the car and peel."

"I mean, cults keep people in them somehow…"

"I never thought I'd say this, but Laura, look on the bright side." He motioned to Alice, who was still walking ahead of us. "I've wanted you to be my Mrs. Malcolm for a year now, and, uh, I know you

wanna make this official. And think how happy it'll make Alice. Just for a week."

I glanced around me, at the comparatively opulent church ahead of us and at Ian's imploring eyes. "Stop giving me that look," I said, smiling despite myself. "You know I can't resist that."

He grinned back at me. "So I win, then? You'll—you'll make me the happiest man in the world?"

"You win just this once, Malcolm." I leaned up and gave him a quick kiss, and he smiled against my lips.

"But don't think you're getting out of this when we get out of here. You're stuck with me forever."

"Just you watch." He took my hand and we ran ahead to where Alice was; we were only a few yards away from the entrance to the church. "We're good to go, Alice! Have—have either of you seen any flowers around at all? Because my plans for this did involve at least, uh, some semblance of a color scheme…"

"We're covered in sheets," I said as Alice threw open the two massive wooden doors, which looked like someone had tried to carve something beautiful and significant in them but had given up halfway. "Is a color scheme really our biggest priority?"

The temple looked much smaller on the inside than it did from the outside. It was extremely plain- wooden walls, wooden floor, barely-polished wooden pews- except for the altar and a huge window above it. The altar looked like it was supposed to be sacred, but it gave off an air of unbearable tackiness. It was obvious that all of its parts were taken from different churches or sets- the colors of the drapes of velvet clashed, and the candle holders were all different colors and sizes. In front of it stood a small wooden lectern.

It took me a second to notice that there were also little dinosaur statues lining the wall, and that the small stained glass windows that lined the sides of the building all depicted different types of dinosaurs- I _knew_ I'd seen that when we'd first seen this place from the car! Alice walked to the front of the church, and Ian just stood in the center and took it all in; I was drawn to the dinosaurs, which were stuck in what looked like candle holders. Even from several feet away and below them, I could see that these weren't done by anywhere near an expert artist. The one above me- it looked like a sad attempt at a velociraptor- looked like it came from a dollar store, with its huge forehead and mangled snout. The one next to it, a sauropod whose species could never be distinguished even by an expert, looked like even _less_ effort was put into it by whatever Chinese factory cranked it out. In fact, none of the dinosaurs looked like they even came from the same place. Across the temple was a Dino Riders triceratops from the '80s, next to which was a museum-store quality tyrannosaur, and beside that a pterodactyl that could've come from a five-dollar playset.

"Hey, have you guys seen this?" Alice pointed up, and I followed her gaze to the large, round stained-glass window above the elaborate altar.

My first thought was _what the fuck_? It almost looked like it was made as a joke, a parody of a Creationist church rather than the church itself. The intricate window featured a man who looked an awful lot like Grant, sitting astride a roaring green T. rex and holding the reins that were around its snout. On the ground beside him was a very familiar man, kneeling with his hands clasped in prayer, his head surrounded by the same glowing halo around Grant's. He had dark, curly hair, a leather jacket, black clothes- there wasn't a shadow of a doubt that this was our soon-to-be husband. Everybody here must not have recognized him from the publicity surrounding the San Diego Incident- they knew who he was because there was a giant depiction of him right smack dab in the middle of their church. Well, this was certainly getting interesting.

"How have I known you for three years," I gestured up at the window, "and not known you were part of some kind of dinosaur apocalypse prophecy?"

"Trust me, I didn't know about it either," he said, following our gazes. "How about that."

"How about that?" Alice repeated. "Ian… they're _worshipping_ you. Some people tend to react a lot differently to that."

"Well, I always thought that would happen _after_ my death," he said matter-of-factly, and licked his lips. "But I gotta say, this works too."

Ignoring Ian, who was giving us a shit-eating grin, I turned to Alice and then looked wildly around at all the plastic faces staring at us. "So what is this, some kind of dinosaur cult? I've seen young-earth creationists, but they don't worship dinosaurs."

She shrugged. "I'm not really making any assumptions. I just know it'll be fun to study."

Before I could answer, the doors behind us burst open once again, and our new friend the Prophet strolled in. "I hope you're prepared. I've brought a few witnesses, and they wouldn't like to be kept waiting." Behind him, in came a much older man with an enormous white beard, followed closely by the younger man who'd greeted us as we'd come into the compound. The second man had a jumpy look in his eyes and appeared just as tightly-wound as he had been when we'd first met him- not surprising, considering that he was probably constantly worried about accidentally sinning. After the two men entered and stood next to Grant with their hands folded, in came a procession of six women in identical beehive hairdos and denim prairie dresses- well, all except for the last woman, who wore the distinctive dress but whose light blonde hair was swept into a ponytail. They filed into the temple and stood in a neat line, their hands folded as well, looking like a matching set of dolls or Stepford wives. Just looking at them made my skin crawl.

Once the doors were shut and all of our "witnesses" were staring at us like we'd come from another planet, Grant stepped forward and gestured to the nervous-looking man. "This is my assistant, JimBob, and his father Isaiah." Both men barely acknowledged us with nods. "And these are my wives, Ellie," he pointed to the blonde-haired woman, who gave us a warm but tight smile, "Rhonda, Miriam, and Esther," three sandy-haired, nearly identical-looking women, "Jennifer and Brooke," two very thin and very tight-faced women who looked like they were judging us even more than Grant was, "and Ruth." The final wife was obviously the youngest, and while she was even thinner and more jumpy-looking than the previous two, her eyes looked genuinely friendly. If I was going to make any allies in this insane town, it looked like Ruth or Ellie could be somewhat like friends.

"All right, everyone to the pews," he said, ushering everyone forward and heading up the aisle to the altar. "Ian, what'll the order be?"

"The- the order?" Ian asked as he led us up to meet Grant, while everybody quietly filed into pews at the front of the church.

"The order of your wives," Grant said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "Who'll be first and second wife?"

We'd made our way to the stage, and Ian glanced between us with a deer-in-the-headlights expression that I rarely saw from him. "Wh-wh-what? Does there even… need to be an order? Can't they just be my wives?"

"Just choose one, Ian," Grant said, crossing his arms. In the corner of my eye, I could see Brooke and Jennifer tittering between them at what an absurd question he'd asked. "There has to be a first and a second. How about the older one is first? Great, now that that's settled-"

"No, no, wait," Ian held out a hand, and then clasped one of our hands in each of his. "If you're asking me to choose which one I love more, that's not gonna happen."

"It's just one of their customs, honey," Alice stage-whispered. "It doesn't mean you love one of us more. It's just their structure."

"Just pick one," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm sick of them staring at me."

"All right, well…" he glanced between us, "I promise I have no preference, uh, at all. It's not a love order… but I've been with Laura for longer, so she'll be my first wife." He squeezed both of our hands and whispered something in Alice's ear, at which she smiled and nodded. He turned to me and asked, "Okay with you? I love you both the-"

I shut him up by leaning forward and kissing him, which earned a full round of gasps from the crowd gathered. Grant grimaced and gave us a very disapproving look, and I just raised my eyebrow and silently dared him to say anything about it. Instead of the lecture I expected, he just said, "Can we proceed with the ceremony, please?" and stepped behind the lectern. He clasped the Bible in his hand to his chest and stood, looking at us expectantly.

Ian looked at us and smiled with barely-contained excitement. "Well… let's do this, ladies." With our hands still clasped in his, he stood facing perpendicular to Grant and led us so that we faced him, huge smiles growing on both of our faces. This might not have been the wedding I'd pictured when Ian had informally asked me to spend the rest of my life with him a year ago, but whether I liked the method or not, I was about to become Mrs. Malcolm just like I'd dreamed of for so long.

"Brothers in Christ, we are gathered here today in celebration of the union of Dr. Ian Malcolm and…" Grant's voice faltered as he looked expectantly at Ian.

" _Laura Lewis_ ," I hissed, earning another frown from the Prophet. He shot an accusing glare at Ian, who kept his silence and jaw set as Alice offered her name.

"...In Holy Covenant of the Lord," Grant finished. "And without further ado - let us read a verse from the Holy Scripture." Pausing a moment for gravity, Grant opened the Bible on the lectern before him, and thumbed to a well-worn page. I felt my palms begin to sweat.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help."

When Grant paused, Ian squeezed my hand.

"Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?" Grant looked up and across the front row of pews, as though addressing a congregation. "And though one might prevail against another," - here Grant looked Ian right in the eye for a long moment, before swinging his piercing gaze to me - "two will withstand one." Suddenly raising his voice, Grant shouted "Brothers! A threefold cord is not quickly broken!"

I felt Ian jump a little at Grant's sudden exclamation. This was the world-renowned paleontologist with whom Ian had barely escaped with his life on Isla Nublar?

The silence was interrupted by the conclusion of Grant's speech. "...Ecclesiastes four, _nine-twelve_." At that, the Prophet dropped his hands to the lectern and beamed at us, looking very proud of himself indeed.

When we'd been given sufficient time to digest his words of wisdom, the Prophet turned to Ian. "And now, Dr. Malcolm, if you would place these rings on your brides, and the three of you would state your vows." From a drawer on the lectern, he pulled out a huge Ziploc bag, which I was shocked to see was full of little silver rings- _where the hell could they have gotten wedding rings in bulk?_ Grant chose a large wedding band and handed it to Ian, who raised his eyebrows in amusement, and then tested a couple of sizes on me and Alice. When he found sizes that fit, he handed them to Ian and silently gestured for him to begin his vows.

"Hmmm… okay." Our fiancee cleared his throat. "Alice, Laura, you are the ones I will love for the rest of my days. I- I will hold your hands through the storms of life and share your joys with you, and- and I will always be your hand to hold and your shoulder to cry on." He looked each of us in the eyes as he recited, making sure he spoke equally to both of us. "I promise to remain your caring husband for the rest of my days, and to provide both of you with boundless and unconditional love, because you deserve, um, nothing less." He ended his speech with a wide smile to both of us, and in spite of myself, I couldn't help but to give him a loving look back. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if he'd been practicing those vows in his head for a long time.

Grant nodded towards me, and I swallowed and hoped Ian didn't expect me to come up with a eloquent speech right here and now. "Ian- the love of my life- being with you is both the greatest adventure of my life and the safest home I've ever known. I… I promise to love you for the rest of my life, to be your faithful wife and best friend, and… to honor our commitment as long as I shall live. You will always have my whole heart." I gave him a hopeful little grin- most of what I'd said was lifted from other, better-written vows that I'd seen people deliver, but that didn't mean that I meant them any less- and he beamed at me in return, his eyes beginning to shine with joyful tears.

Perhaps not accustomed to tears of joy at Phoenix wedding ceremonies, Grant cleared his throat and nodded at Alice. Put on the spot, Alice was the opposite of me in that she was at a loss for words. "Ian, I… promise to love, honour and o - stand by your side, and Laura's, no matter what. _Forever_." His eyes still moist, Ian beamed down at his second bride.

Alice looked expectantly back at Grant, whose knitted eyebrows betrayed barely suppressed irritation.

"All right. Ian, do you take these women to be your wives in the eyes of the Lord, for as long as you three shall live from your time on Earth until you ascend to the Celestial Kingdom?"

"I do."

"Please place the rings on their fingers."

Ian looked to me first, and tenderly lifted up my left hand and slid the cheap-looking little wedding ring onto my ring finger. He held eye contact with me for a moment and then leaned in, his lips brushing my cheek, to whisper, "I love you." He stood up straight and pronounced, "With this ring, I thee wed." He took a step to the side, still holding my hand, and did the same thing with Alice, including whispering in her ear. When he was done, he looked to Grant for approval.

"Now, I'll need your first wife to give her blessing to your second. Traditionally-"

I didn't know very much about polygamous weddings, but I had read somewhere about the typical way that a wife blessed her husband's second marriage. If this didn't turn out to be the custom here, even better- I wasn't about to reject a way to piss this guy off. I leaned to my right side and made sure everyone saw me kiss Alice's cheek and squeeze her free hand; she immediately flushed bright red and covered her snicker with her free hand, and there was a

murmur among the people in the pews, but not a huge one. It looked like I'd gotten it right after all.

Grant muttered something under his breath, and then leaned forward against his lectern and waved his hand over the three of us. "By the power vested in me by God himself, I now pronounce you man and wives! You may now kiss the brides- _modestly._ "

Ian wasn't concerned with being modest. He pulled both of us in and hugged us tightly against his chest, leaning down to give me and then Alice long, deep kisses. The men and women in the pews applauded politely; some of them did so more sarcastically than others, although Ruth looked genuinely happy for us and Ellie had a look that was best described as wistful. Ian kept us held close to him and kept this special moment going for as long as he could, all three of us trading kisses while Alice cheered gleefully and I allowed myself to laugh with the utter ecstasy of the moment.

Grant cleared his throat loudly enough for the sound to echo through the entire building, and Ian finally stopped giving us kisses and moved us so that we all faced the congregation, still holding each of us tightly with one arm. Ian flashed one of his million-watt grins and opened his mouth to say something, but behind us, Grant wasn't finished.

"The prophecy has been fulfilled!" he bellowed, raising his arms skyward. "God has sent His blessing. The second Dinosaur Man has arrived, and God's glorious plan for His congregation will soon come to fruition. Let His people rejoice!"

All together, the people in the pews stood and clasped their hands in prayer, looking at the stained glass window above us and saying in one voice, "Praise the Dinosaur Men! The Lord is good!" They dropped their arms to their sides and stared reverently at Grant; I noticed that Ellie was rolling her eyes.

Ian gave us a bemused look as Grant moved from his lectern and descended the steps into the aisle. "The deed is done! Isaiah, go prepare the grills. JimBob, go tell everyone the news and tell them to gather in front of the Temple. Brooke, bring the meat and-" he glared venomously back at me- "the _vegetables_ , and everyone else, get ready to make everyone's food. Let's have a cookout!"


	3. Chapter 3

Alice II - The Honeymoon

After having our fill of hamburgers and hotdogs, it was time to mingle with our hosts. Laura dug her camera out of our luggage, and Ellie took our pictures. Some were of Laura and Ian, some of me and Ian, and lots with the three of us together. It was a far cry from any other wedding photo shoot I'd ever seen— all three of us looked exactly like one would think we'd look after a long road trip, none of us were in the mood for artful poses and there wasn't any lovely scenery to use as backdrops. Still, though, little gleams of our happiness shone through on our faces and in the way Ian held us. _Something else to show the kids_ , I thought as we finished up and headed back to the barbecue.

I was accosted by several women after that, who must have been desperate to talk to someone outside of their usual circle. Ruth Grant, Alan's third wife, was telling me about her summers spent logging in Bountiful, B.C., when I felt a tug at my shoulder. I turned and Ian was standing behind me. He cleared his throat. "Mrs. Grant, if I may," he said, smiling and nodding at Ruth. It did not escape my notice that he was quickly picking up the local mannerisms. "Mind if I have a moment with my beautiful new missus?" Ruth blushed deeper than I did, and quickly turned away.

Ian clasped my hand in his and kissed me quickly on the cheek. Wordlessly, he pulled me far enough away from the crowd that no one but me would hear what he had to say. "Alice," Ian drew me close and kissed my forehead. Sighing contentedly to myself, I hugged him back. "I love you, Alice, you know that—"

"And I love you too." I stood on my tiptoes—Ian was 6'6" to my 5'—and kissed him on the lips. "What is this about?"

Ian looked almost uncomfortable as he drew in a breath. His hands were clasped together across my upper back. "Well, I, uh, just wanted to check in and make sure you were OK with the, uh... You know, the arrangement." He watched me nervously for a reaction.

 _Was that all?_ I widened my eyes slightly, pretending for a moment to be troubled. A look of concern flashed across Ian's face until I relaxed my expression and broke a smile. "Well, if saying yes to your proposal wasn't enough, then I assure you that no, I don't have a problem with the arrangement. It was fine in Austin, why not here?"

Ian squeezed me and kissed me on the forehead. "You know what I mean, Alice... _Second_ _wife_."

"Oh, that." I shrugged. "You remember where I come from, Ian," I said softly. Ian dropped his gaze; he knew I was referring not only to Canada, but the circumstances with my ex-fiancée under which I'd left my hometown to work in the southern U.S., and what had happened thereafter. "I'd rather be your second wife than anyone else's first, and be with you and Laura. You're my family. That's why I came with you when we left the city."

"That's my girl," Ian gathered his arms around my waist and lifted me to kiss him.

I shrieked, breaking the kiss. "Put me down!"

Gently Ian lowered me until my feet touched the ground, then he took my hand, winking at me. "Come on, Alice," he guided me back towards the party. "We have a big night ahead of us."

XXX

At some point in the middle of the night's festivities, Ian disappeared. Laura and I took a break from accepting congratulations and more than a few stares, and circulated the perimeter of the park, but we could not find him.

"Dr. Grant and Ellie are MIA too," I observed. "Grant said something about a place for us to stay – maybe he and Ian are discussing that."

Laura looked frustrated. "We just met all these people today. We don't know anyone! Why would he leave us here without telling us where he's going?"

I felt Laura's pain. "I'm socially— and physically—exhausted, too. We'll have to just trust Ian... I'm sure he'll be back soon and he'll tell us what's going on."

XXX

Laura and I sat on a picnic bench, drinking our lemonade and watching the huge families gather up their broods and leave. The sun was almost completely set, and twilight was sweeping over the town, rays of deep purple and orange painting the dusty landscape like watercolors.

"I just want somewhere to lie down and rest," Laura said at last, slumping forward in her seat. "Isn't that all we asked for? Just somewhere to sleep? Christ."

"You're telling me. What a day. What a couple of days."

A short while later, Ian, Alan and Ellie finally appeared beside us. Alan tipped his hat. "Ladies." Laura and I stood. "On behalf of the Grant family, I'd like to welcome you to Phoenix. Congratulations on your marriage."

Laura and I shook Grant's hand, then we each hugged Ellie.

Ian took Laura's hand in his and put the other on my shoulder. "It's been a real pleasure, Dr. Grant. Thank you for offering such a warm welcome to Phoenix." Ian paused. "The ladies and I will, uh— be retiring for the night."

The corners of Grant's eyes crinkled as he smiled at Ian.

XXX

"I'm so sorry, loves, but Grant wanted to, ah, make sure that we were settled. He offered to let JimBob help move our stuff into the trailer." We were walking along the gravel road in the dark. Ian was between us, holding our hands to make sure we didn't trip. Phoenix was even quieter and deader at night.

"Next time, please warn us when you're gonna leave us alone with the fundies, OK?" Laura admonished. "They kept asking me if I knew Satan came in the form of a serpent."

"Trailer?" I asked. "What trailer?"

Ian looked at me, then at Laura. "Grant's given us a trailer to stay in while we're here."

Laura laughed. "Only the finest in Phoenix for us."

"Is it really a trailer?" I had visions of the Winnebagos in which we'd go camping up north in my youth.

"It's really a trailer," Ian replied. "Look."

I looked at where Ian was gesturing. Before us stood a half-trailer, half-bungalow mishmash that sported the same worn-out paint and accents of every other dwelling in town. It looked even more uninviting in the dark. Ian's sports car stuck out like a sore thumb, parked in front of the property. "It looks right out of a country song," I said.

"Home sweet home," said Ian. "Come on in." There was no lock on the door—Ian waltzed right in, flipping on a light switch. The light illuminated a sitting area as drab and dusty as the land around it, furnished with a couple of taupe-colored sofas and with a few framed prints of the most generic religious art I'd ever seen hanging on the walls. JimBob and Ian had brought our purses and luggage into the room.

Determined not to upset Ian or Laura, I made an effort to make the best of the situation. "Wow, it's great that Grant and Ellie were so willing to give us a place to stay on such short notice."

"I know it's not ideal," Ian's gaze went from Laura to me. "But Grant's an old friend, and if there's—there's anywhere we won't be found, it's here." He paused. "Plus, it's the perfect place to... To do our thing."

I sensed a subtle shift in the mood in the room. Laura and I caught eyes and blushed. I smiled at her, unseen by Ian.

"Ian, Laura and I are exhausted. Where do we sleep?" This was going to be good.

"There are two bedrooms and a study, which'll be my bedroom." Ian motioned for us to follow him. He led us down the hall, flipping another light switch.

"The first bedroom," Ian stepped inside the room. There was a queen-sized bed and a very old dresser. The bed was not made, but a freshly-folded pile of linens sat upon it. "Courtesy of Ellie," Ian said, following our gaze. Looking at Laura, his eyes sparkled. "This is your room, First Wife."

The designation of First Wife was usually made by age, since it typically corresponded to the order in which the husband married his wives. Although I was thirty to Laura's twenty-five, we had decided that because Ian and Laura had been together for a longer time—three years to Ian's and my one— that Laura would be First Wife.

"Alice," Ian gestured for us to follow him. "You're across the hall." My room was nearly identical, and Ellie had left fresh sheets for the bed there also. I didn't bother to take in too many details—there were far more important events at hand.

Ian led us to the next room. "The study." This was not a regular study. It was the most luxurious room in the home. It was the size of a living room, and contained a queen-sized bed. On this one, the fresh sheets had already been fitted— _courtesy of Ellie_ , I thought. Ian's suitcase sat at the side of the bed. On the opposite wall was a desk just like the one in Alan's office. There was even a TV stand, and I took special note of the old, boxy TV on it—even that amount of contact with the outside world surprised me, and it implied a few things that I'd have to investigate further when I got the chance.

The study was the man's domain, according to Ellie. "Your bedroom," I affirmed.

"Yes, but," Ian paused, knitting his eyebrows. "Did Ellie explain the way they, uh, do things here?"

Ellie had explained that in Phoenix, men took turns with their wives each night. Ian would alternate sleeping with us, but we could negotiate between ourselves to trade nights off, as long as Ian agreed. Although we had assigned nights, Ian had veto power at any time. If he was assigned to sleep with me but he was horny for Laura, he was encouraged to follow his divine desires and owed no explanation. Laura's face had been quite amusing during _that_ discussion.

Even if it differed only slightly logistically from the polyamorous arrangement we'd had back in the city, I was still absorbing it all. "Yes, she did."

Laura nodded. "So what were you thinking for tonight?" she asked. _Thank you, Laura_ , I thought.

Suddenly, Ian was almost shy. "Well. It is our wedding night. I'd like to spend it with, uh, both of you."

Although I had expected that that was coming, I couldn't help but to blush. Unlike probably all the women in Phoenix, my wedding night would not be my first time, not even with Ian. But it would be the first time with Ian and my new sister wife. I glanced at Laura, whose eyes were wide as saucers. I imagined similar thoughts were going through her mind.

Sensing that to move this forward, he needed to take the lead, Ian took us each by the hand and led us to the bed. I climbed on and sat cross-legged. Taller Laura sat on the edge of the bed.

Laura and I waited for Ian to make the next move. He began to unbutton his shirt. When it was off, he approached, swooping Laura into his arms. Laura yelped and giggled as he pinned her down briefly, next to me. Then, Ian lay down between us and pulled me down with them.

Giggling and glancing at each other across his chest, we cuddled up to Ian's shoulders.

"My ladies..."

"Yes, sir?" Laura was the first to speak up.

"Oh, fuck, _Laura_ ," Ian growled. In one swift move, he had rolled onto her and enveloped her in his arms, and was kissing her face and neck aggressively. Just as quickly, Laura's hands were busy trying to unbuckle his belt.

Feeling my face flush, I turned away, hiding from the two of them. I had expected something like this, based on what Laura had told me in the past about the very different dynamic they had in bed, but seeing it was something far different.

Laura was giggling in between Ian's kisses. "Alice, help me here!"

I turned back to face them and saw what Laura was asking for –she was pinned and unable to remove Ian's pants. Laughing, I sat up and grabbed onto the back of Ian's waistband; it was easy to slide down, as Laura had managed to loosen his belt. At the sight of his bare butt cheeks, I could not resist lightly slapping him, causing Ian to flinch and Laura to burst into a fit of giggles.

Growling, Ian held Laura down, clutching her in his arms. She was grasping onto his shoulders for dear life, and Ian was fucking her with short, fast strokes. The tired, old bed squeaked with every thrust. I was familiar with Ian's moans and grunts of pleasure, but listening to him with Laura was all new. I busied myself with taking off my clothes and underwear, pulling up the sheet to cover my naked body.

It wouldn't be appropriate to interrupt this moment for the two of them, but I thought of something that might just make it more memorable. Now, Ian was ravishing Laura's breasts with his tongue, dividing his loving attention between both nipples. Unnoticed by the lovers, I sat up and began rifling around in Ian's suitcase, which sat at the end of the bed.

 _I found it. Yes. Laura will love this._

They were so into their lovemaking that I could have screamed "FIRE!" and they probably wouldn't have noticed, but I was as quiet as possible as I moved back up to the head of the bed, holding the short-tailed leather whip. So as not to interrupt the passion, I gently nudged Ian's left hand, which was clutching Laura's shoulder. I surprised him enough to loosen his grip, at which point I pushed the whip's handle into his hand. Immediately, Ian realized what I was doing. He grinned at me.

"Laura," Ian panted in her ear. "On your knees. Now."

Clearly not expecting this, Laura paused for a moment before wiggling out from under Ian. She did as he asked, briefly casting a sidelong glance at me that I pretended not to notice. Laura grasped onto the pillow, and Ian positioned himself on his knees behind her. The whip lay next to them.

Ian bent forward to whisper something in Laura's ear that I could not hear. I think they shared a joke, but I couldn't be sure. Seconds later, Ian had grabbed onto Laura's thighs and plunged himself deep inside her.

Both Ian and Laura moaned with pleasure as he pushed inside her as far as he could go. I shivered, remembering how indescribably good it felt to switch from missionary to doggie. My face flushing again, I draped the sheet over myself and lay back, idly watching the lovers but gazing enough out of the way that I could not be accused of staring.

Ian knew I was watching, though. Tipping a wink at me, he picked up the whip and held it just above Laura's lower back.

"Are you gonna be a good girl for me, Laura? ... Yes?" Ian smacked the whip against her upper buttocks.

Laura cried out more from surprise than pain. "Yes, Ian, yes."

"I didn't hear you." Ian smacked the whip again, lower down and harder this time.

"YES!" Her voice quavered.

"That's it, girl," Ian moaned. His voice had that edge to it, the one that meant he was close. They were in their own little world now, Ian cracking the whip over Laura's buttocks as she cried out, "Sir, please sir, more!"

 _Fuck, this is hot. When will it be my turn?_

"Uuunnnnhhhhh..."

I recognized that sound; Ian, and probably Laura too, were both about to come. The squeaking of the bed became irregular as Ian lost control of his body's rhythm.

The leather whip hit Laura's buttocks again, halfheartedly this time. "Fuck, Laura...Ahhh..."

"Oh, Ian..." _Thump, thump, thump._ The headboard was creaking with Ian's final strokes.

"It's too good Laura... Fuck... So good..."

The last sound I heard was their bodies collapsing together onto the mattress.

Ian and Laura lay entwined for a while, catching their breaths. He brushed little strands of hair out of her face, whispering things about what a good girl she was, and Laura nuzzled her head against his neck. Finally, he rolled off of her and onto his back between us, and the two of us lay again, each cuddled up to Ian's sides. I pulled the blanket up around us.

Only about ten minutes passed, but it felt like an eternity. Unable to wait anymore, I twisted onto my side and grabbed a handful of Ian's shiny curls, bringing his face to mine. " _I want you_."

"Alice, get over here..." Ian's voice was husky. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me to him, pinning me down with his body against the bed.

"Ia—" I was cut off by his aggressive kiss. He thrust his hips against mine, pressing his erection against my groin. I could not believe he was so hard again. "Ohh, Ian..."

He was nibbling my earlobe now. "Alice... I've missed those tits... Let me taste those nipples..."

I couldn't help pressing my hips against his. Tugging on his hair, I guided him to my right nipple, the more sensitive one. He took my cue and closed his lips around it, gently licking and sucking with exquisite softness. The sensations were incredible— I could feel myself getting more and more wet for him.

"Unnnhh, Ian..." I moaned, clutching at his shoulders. Ian paused for a moment and looked up at me with that crooked smile, nipple still between his teeth. "Ian—"

He let go of the nipple, grinning wickedly. "Laura, love, c'mere." In my peripheral vision I saw Laura stir and move towards us, her manner hesitant and her limbs still unsteady.

"Look at these nipples. Aren't they gorgeous? Puffies." Ian nuzzled his cheek against the hardened right nipple. Grabbing Laura's hand, Ian pressed it to my left breast with his palm. Both Laura and I yelped in surprise; a look of incredulous arousal flickered across her face, and I felt an unexpected twinge between my thighs.

That was the reaction Ian was looking for. " _There._ " Ian had a glint in his eye. " _Good girls_."

Not missing a beat, he slid himself inside me to the hilt in one stroke. I was left gasping for breath as he began with his hard fucking, grunting a little with each thrust. As soon as he found an unsteady rhythm, I realized that the novelty of having both of us in bed was almost too much for Ian to handle.

My amusement at Ian's pleasure overload was interrupted by Laura. I realized she was alternately poking Ian and and myself on our forearms, nervously hoping to get the attention of one of us.

"Mmnh... mmnh... Ian," I pried my lips apart from his. "Something... going on," I murmured.

Following Laura's gaze to the doorway, I got a glimpse of a cowboy hat that I'd know anywhere. I screamed, startling Ian enough for him to flinch and turn his head quickly. I felt him stiffen against me.

"Grant! I see you!" Ian's body vibrated with fury as he rose to a more dignified position than between the thighs of one of his new wives on his wedding night. I was so mortified that I could only keep my gaze down as I scrambled blindly for the blanket, feeling Laura pushing it towards me to cover my nakedness. She had the same look in her eyes that she'd had when Grant handed her the sheet—a look that reminded me of a belligerent neighbor whose front lawn I'd been caught trampling.

Grant shrank in the doorway as he appeared to be genuinely embarrassed. To be caught?

"I'm—I'm so sorry. I—I just wanted to come by and make sure you were comfortable in your new place." His voice faltered.

Ian stood at the foot of the bed, sheet wrapped around his waist. Having been so intimate with him only moments earlier, I was still attuned to Ian's emotional vibes. He was livid.

"What the hell made you think it was OK to sneak in here— to—to spy— on us? I didn't invite you, did I?" He glared at Grant a moment, then looked around the room, finally grabbing the whip that still sat on the bed. "We were quite—quite comfortable until this intrusion, thank you."

Laura and I exchanged a look that was equal parts horror and amusement.

Grant's eyes widened and he tensed at the sight of Ian advancing towards him, holding the whip menacingly. "Get out." Ian's tone was threatening. " _Now_."

It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. I held my breath.

Grant backed away slowly, slinking down the dark hallway. A moment later, the front door of the trailer slammed shut.

Ian relaxed his shoulders and sighed. He set down the whip on the night table and got back onto the bed. First he wrapped his arms around Laura, kissing her tenderly and whispering something in her ear that made her smile. He then turned to me and pulled me towards him in a tight hug, kissing me hard on the lips. "I'm sorry, Alice."

I kissed him back. "Pretty sure it's not your fault, Ian. You didn't invite him, did you?"

"You know I didn't, baby." A mischievous smile spread across his face. "'Cause if I had, Ellie would've been here too."

"Ian!" I swatted him lightly on the shoulder. "You do know that is not appropriate talk for the marital bed, especially on our wedding night?"

Both Ian and Laura giggled. I felt the last tension from the Alan encounter melt away at the sound of my two best friends so happy.

"My loves, come here." Ian put one arm around each of us and guided us to cuddle him on either side. Laying down, I suddenly felt very, very tired.

"We've committed to joining this community for now. It doesn't mean we have to believe in their Prophet," – Ian laughed—"we just have to respect their, uh, beliefs and culture."

"Unless that culture involves Peeping Toms?" Laura interrupted.

Laughter again. "Grant hasn't heard the last about that, believe me," Ian said finally. "And the first thing I'm gonna do tomorrow is figure out how to secure that door."

Allowing himself to forget about Grant, Ian drew us closer. "We'll start the schedule right away." He turned to Laura. "Laura, as First Wife, you, ah, you will take me to bed with you tomorrow night." He kissed her on lips, and I could see her cheeks redden.

"And Alice," he turned to kiss my cheek, whispering softly. "The night ends at nine AM the morning after. Then I'm-I'm all yours." I felt warmth rising between my legs as my mind raced ahead, imagining the conclusion of what was so rudely interrupted tonight.

Laying back into the pillows and squeezing us both on the shoulders, Ian yawned. "Sleep well, my loves, sweet dreams."

XXX

Weak sunlight fell across the bed through the curtained window. It was early morning, and the three of us were still sleeping off the previous day's excitement. Ian snored lightly and Laura and I had our heads nestled on his shoulders.

I'd awakened in the early hours after a dream in which Laura and I had been slaving for hours by ourselves, barefoot and pregnant, clad in prairie dresses, in an industrial kitchen, to feed a horde of hungry fundie men and their huge families. I knew well enough that it was just a dream— albeit one that probably said a lot about my deep-down anxieties about where I'd found myself—but I couldn't fall asleep again after waking up.

For a little while I lay drifting between thought and slumber, until I felt Ian stirring beside me. "'Morning, love," he whispered, brushing his lips across my forehead. He turned to Laura and gently kissed her on the hair. She was still fast asleep.

"You okay, Alice honey? Bad dream?"

I nodded and buried my face in his neck. "Kind of," I whispered.

Carefully maneuvering so as not to disturb Laura, Ian pulled me into a tight hug. His lips found mine and he started kissing me passionately while gently rolling me onto my back. _Picking up right where we left off last night_ , I thought.

Laura stirred from sleep and, hearing muffled noises, turned to face us. For a moment I could feel her gaze, and then the mattress shifted as Laura started to get out of the bed. Ian stopped and held out an arm, grasping her. She froze. "No." There was a bit of an edge to his voice, which caught us both off guard. "Stay here, Laura honey."

I caught Laura's eye for a brief moment as her expression registered sleepy confusion with interest, but in an instant, Ian was kissing my neck. "I'm so sorry about last night, baby," he whispered, nipping my earlobe and making me start to squirm. "Let me make it up to you."

All I could muster in response was a moan as he kissed a trail to my left breast, pausing to lick and briefly suckle the nipple. He pressed his hard morning erection against my belly. I began to moan and squirm as I always did when Ian licked my nipples, but this time he didn't stay there for long, moving his head to kiss my belly. Immediately I reached down and grabbed his shoulder, startling him. He looked up at me, puzzled.

"No, Ian, come back up here," I coaxed, grabbing a few curls and tugging. Instead he sat up.

Laura, who'd been observing this whole time, scooted over to Ian's side. She grinned at me and then whispered something in his ear, cupping her hand around her cheek so I couldn't hear.

"She won't let me, Laura."

Laura shifted her gaze to mine, a look of shock on her face.

"You won't... _let him_ , Alice?"

I felt my face warm up at Laura's tone. "I...um, I find it too sensitive and um, ticklish. I'd rather..." I trailed off, lifting my right hand to grasp my right breast.

Ian chuckled as Laura sighed in frustration. "Alice, we know about the tit stuff, but fuck, you're missing out." Glancing at Ian and then at me, she moved back over to my side. I could feel Ian watching us as Laura leaned over and whispered, loud enough for Ian to hear, "Alice, here's your nipple grabbing, now let Ian work his magic." She nodded to Ian, and he dipped his head down.

I gasped as I felt Laura's thumbs hesitantly press my nipples just as Ian brushed his lips against my inner right thigh. I felt him settle into position, his strong hands holding my thighs in place. Now his lips were gently pressed against my lower ones, his tongue probing. I shivered and groaned at the sensation— or was it the electric shocks of pleasure zinging towards my very core every time Laura pinched both my nipples? "Uuuunnnnhhhhhh... Laura... Ian..." I moaned.

My eyes flickered open and I caught the glance that the two of them shared. In my state I didn't catch exactly what they said, but I could swear I heard Laura whisper "...the alphabet." I saw Ian grin and, and his cheeks reddened slightly.

 _What the hell?_

Before I could think further, Ian's mouth was between my legs again, this time licking me in earnest. He was tracing something over my lips—I could feel his tongue deliberately swirling in all different directions, slowly, quickly, softly and then firmly, drawing little circles and then long, wide strokes. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sensations, but he held me in place. "Ahh! Oh my god, Ian!"

Ian didn't acknowledge me, but Laura giggled, cupping my breasts in her hands. "I told you you were missing out, girl!"

"Ahh! Ahh! Oh! Oh my god... _Oh my god_..." I bucked my hips involuntarily, and Ian paused for a moment. I heard myself groan in frustration. "Mmmnnhhh..."

"That's it, girl," Ian's voice was rough with arousal. A moment later, I felt him slide two fingers deep inside me, all the way to the third knuckles with one stroke. "Ah, _fuck_..." I hissed, bucking my hips again shakily. Ian steadied my movements by burying his face between my legs again. This time I was panting, desperate for his touch. He resumed the firm, steady strokes with his tongue that had brought me to this point. Laura sat still, stroking and pinching my hardened nipples, taking in the scene before her with amusement and glee, the doubts that had registered on her face a minute ago completely gone.

At last, it was too much. "Ohhhhuuuuhhhhhh..." I moaned, and I felt Ian's muscles clench; he knew I was close. Laura's fingers kept up a steady rhythm massaging my nipples. "Ahhhhhh...aahhhhh...!" I arched my back against the bed as a burst of pleasure radiated through me. I closed my eyes and rode out the waves, sighing heavily as I felt myself relax against the mattress.

Laura drew her fingers away and I heard Ian chuckle as he moved up to kiss me. "Thank you, Alice honey," he whispered against my lips. I could taste myself when he pressed his mouth to mine.

"Unnnhhhh, Iannn..." I was almost beyond words. Ian paid this no mind, moving his hips into position between my shaking thighs. He kissed me again, and I felt him nudging against my wet lips. I pushed forward to encourage him; I was more than ready for it. Ian slid himself inside at long last, groaning with relief at the contact with the warm wetness. His hips immediately began to find a quick, sharp rhythm, and I could tell he wasn't going to last long.

I wrapped my arms around Ian's shoulders and pulled him towards me, kissing his lips and then moving my attention to his earlobe, giving it the little bites that always drove him crazy. In my peripheral vision, I saw Laura drop into a lounging position alongside us. I felt Ian start as Laura grabbed a handful of his curls, turning his face towards hers to kiss him roughly on the lips. I gasped as Ian's thrusts deepened.

"Oh, fuck, my _girls_..." Ian hissed against Laura's lips. He inhaled quickly, and soon I felt the warm wetness exploding inside. "Uuuunnnnhhhh..." Ian threw his head back and moaned as he bucked his hips against mine one, two, three times. A moment later he collapsed on me, enveloping his large frame around mine, and I could feel both of our heartbeats pounding as he lay on top of me.

We lay still for a few minutes, just breathing, and then Ian squeezed my shoulders in his arms and kissed my forehead and hair. The deep pressure made me sigh with relaxation, and soon Ian loosened his grip and rolled onto his back between me and Laura, who lay on her side facing us. Ian pulled Laura close to his other side and kissed her on the lips. "Good morning, my loves," he said at last, running his hands along our hair and down our backs.

Laura and I exchanged a look across Ian's chest. _Good morning, indeed._


End file.
